Seaway7 awards trenching services contract to Helix Robotics

Seaway7, part of the Subsea7 Group, has awarded Houston-headquartered Helix Robotics Solutions a contract for the burial of inter-array cables at the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm site in the UK.

The contract is expected to last over 300 days and is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2026.

Under the contract, Helix Robotics Solutions will be responsible for the burial of all 192 inter-array cables, totaling approximately 500 kilometers in length. The project will be managed with engineering and survey support from Helix’s offices in Aberdeen, the UK.

For this scope of work, Helix plans to utilize the Grand Canyon III trenching support vessel mobilized with the T1500 jet trencher, the i-Trencher trenching system, a work-class remotely operated vehicle, and associated survey services.

“This contract with Seaway7, one of the largest trenching awards to Helix, highlights our commitment to supporting offshore wind development and expanding Helix’s offshore renewables activity,” said Scotty Sparks, Helix’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

In October 2024, Seaway7 won a contract for the transport and installation of the inter-array cables at Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm, located 160 kilometers off the Yorkshire coast.

Hellenic Cables and Prysmian Group secured a contract with the developer for the supply of inter-array cables, while NKT will deliver the export cables.

At the end of last year, Ørsted awarded JDR a contract for array cable testing and termination. The company will prepare and connect the cables between the turbines and offshore converter stations, and then, using their testing system will ensure that all array cabling is fully integrated into the offshore electrical infrastructure.

With 231 wind turbines and a generation capacity of 2.9 GW, the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.